We have a few mid-century extension tables in for restoration at the moment. This one held meaning for our client as she remembers sitting at it as a child and wanted it restored so that her own children could enjoy it too. The problem with a lot of these types of tables is that the tops are made from “chipboard” which tends to swell and deteriorate over the years. We re-used the original base frame and solid timber edge and replaced the old top and now it looks as good as new, and will last another generation.
The before and after shots on this oak drop-side side table show that with a bit of TLC you can give most old furniture a new lease on life. Our full restoration process starts with a complete dis-assemble. We then clean-up any hardware and strip the paint or lacquer surface. Once stripped we clean the joints and give all the pieces a full sand. At this stage we complete any repair work that is required and then re-assemble, give it a final sand and put it through the 5 stage polish process. As you can see it is quite an involved process, but totally worth it. The piece once belonged to our client’s mother and they were very happy with the end result.
The Brief – Custom build a display case to house clients ever-growing collection to match others of a similar style that they had previously commissioned. Renowned Furniture delivered – A traditional display cabinet with glass shelving, mirrored back and brass hardware. LED feature lighting was included to highlight the collectables and the electricals were hidden under the base with a removable panel in the bottom for ease of access
This was a job that involved making a dining table, a coffee table and a couple of side tables.
The client had existing shaped bench seating in their dining area that they thought would not be cost effective to remove, so they had a table made to fit the space. The larger dining table is stained Victorian Ash and has a 10mm toughened glass top.
The coffee table and side tables were made to match to tie the new table into the existing décor. we actually matched the stain colour to the other furniture in their living area.
Our master craftsmen transformed this Cedar sideboard to a vanity unit. The unit has been polished in an oil-based polyurethane with added hardener, to make it moisture resistant and hard wearing.
Australia didn’t escape the frenzy around the KonMari method of tidying and organising popularised by Japanese organisation consultant Marie Kondo.
Mari Kondo’s Netflix series “Tidying Up” really resonated with a lot of people, inspiring the Australian masses to get organised. Australians are putting into action what they’ve read from her books, as E-Bay figures reveal a significant rise in the sales of home organisation items like small boxes and drawer organisers.
On the flip side, however, Australians’ efforts to purge belongings that no longer spark joy is causing bigger problems.
The stuff that no longer sparks joy for Australians is ending up in charity shops, or haphazardly piled up roadside for kerbside collection. Charity shops welcome quality unwanted items, but people should be aware that broken or damaged things deemed unsaleable by staff of these charity shops are costing charities millions of dollars to send to landfill.
Since the premier of Kondo’s new series, some Aussie charities have even stopped accepting donations because they are already at full capacity. And because donation bins across Australia are overflowing, people have resorted to leaving their discarded clutter outside donation bins, rendering these items as “contaminated” and therefore automatically bound for the landfill.
What should I do with my unwanted stuff?
This sudden love of de-cluttering can be a good thing. But you have to carefully consider where the items that you’re discarding will end up considering there is already a glut of second-hand stuff, such as clothes, shoes, home decors and even big-ticket items like furniture, out there. Instead of throwing items away, make an effort to find a good home for them, or have them restored or recycled.
If you have clothes, shoes, bags, toys, furniture or décor that you don’t want anymore but are still in good condition, offer them up to people within your community. You can post it on your local buy, swap and sell page or Facebook Marketplace and sell or give away pre-loved items.
What to do with your discarded furniture
What if your furnishings no longer spark joy and you want to get rid of them and exchange with pieces that reflect your personal style and taste?
If you have an old piece of furniture that is no longer in use or you have been wanting to replace, you can repurpose or upcycle it into a new, creative and functional piece. For example, an antique bookcase can be transformed into a bar or an old, broken piano can be repurposed into a desk.
Upcycling inspiration can be found all around the internet, and often a client will give us a picture of something they’ve seen and get us to make the transformation. It can be as simple as refinishing an old dresser or table to a more elaborate undertaking like dismantling an old piece and rebuilding it into some new form to make it more functional.
In our latest post we show a pair of old rocker chairs that were given a modern update. The reinvented chairs certainly sparked joy for our client!
Why not restore your old furniture to its former glory? You may be seeing a table with broken legs, or a chair with an ugly upholstery, but our professional restorers see that something could still be done to make old furniture usable and beautiful once again. You are not only saving it from the landfill, you are also breathing new life into a forgotten item.
If you are not confident about your restoration skills or you don’t have the time to dedicate to the project, contact a local furniture restoration company like Renowned Furniture for a consult.
In the Brisbane area, you can call on Renowned Furniture for high quality furniture repair, restoration and alteration services. We have been servicing the Brisbane area for four decades. We guarantee furniture restoration services delivered with the highest standard and at affordable rates.
If you really cannot find a way to give an old piece new life then the best option is to contact a junk removal company to pick up your old, heavy and bulky furniture. They will haul away your furniture for a fee.
Though these junk removal companies are for-profit, many recycle and donate items whenever possible. And if you don’t want to pay then find thrift shops that accept gently used furniture. The Salvation Army Australia and Savers Australia are just some of the organisations that accept usable donations. They will make sure to give your furniture another lease in life and donate to people who need them.
She came back to us with two of old rocker chairs and pose to us the challenge of making them more modern.
Her husband had just wanted to buy new ones to replace them, but we were able to modify and reupholster for less than the cost to replace with something similar.
These are the same chairs (base and frame) but with new modified arms and upholstery.
Our client wanted a stylish storage solution for her home.
We built in custom file drawers so she could do away with traditional filing cabinets and made them into individual units that could be easily split to be moved around the home if needed.
Here are some pictures of the finished product.
Here is the custom filing cabinet installed at the client’s home.
